Exploring the Sydenham River with the Laowa 12mm Zero D Lens

On my drive home from the recently concluded Bruce Peninsula Photography Workshop I made a brief stop at Inglis Falls Conservation Area. It has been many years since I visited this location. I was also a little disappointed as I personally think the area has suffered some decline due to government cutbacks. Nonetheless, I made my way downstream from the falls to scenic sections of the river that I have long wanted to explore with the Laowa 12mm Zero D Lens.

I carefully made my way out onto to a small 2 foot sized rock mid-stream to first, and foremost, get myself away from distracting shoreline elements and to put the viewer into the river. If you are not accustomed to entering a ragging river I do not encourage trying this. I have been doing so for several decades and always take extra precautions when doing so.

Each of these images were photographed with no filtration. I accidentally forgot to grab my polarizing filter for the Laowa 12mm lens before I made my decent into the river gorge. I was on limited time and figured that the overcast conditions and the fast flow of the river would provide sufficient exposures to achieve the amount of  blur I like. I was not mistaken.

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Bruce Peninsula Workshop Report

Halfway Log Dump on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

Earlier this week I held my first-ever Bruce Peninsula Photographic Workshop with fabulous participants in attendance.The Bruce Peninsula is on the Niagara Escarpement, which is designated as a UNESCO World Biosphere.

We began the workshop with a visit to Halfway Log Dump on Georgian Bay and were greeted with a rather pleasant sunrise. The endless cobblestone beach at Halfway Log Dump has always been one of my favourite sights in Ontario.

Our next stop was at Indian Head Cove and the Grotto. The water levels on Georgian Bay are quite high this year and have submerged much of the foreground elements at Indian Head Cove however, there were many stunning vistas to capture, particularly when using wide angle lenses to exaggerate the rugged details along the small cliff face at this location.

Indian Head Cove on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

 

 

Indian Head Cove on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

As the end of day approached we ventured over to Dorcas Bay / Singing Sands to photograph sunset. Our first sunset opportunity was thwarted by rain, but on the second night we did have glorious conditions for sunset with pastel tones in the western sky and nice clouds to the east.

Dorcas Bay on Lake Huron, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

 

Dorcas Bay on Lake Huron, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

Our second morning outing was cancelled due to heavy rain so we opted sleep in, have breakfast, and hold a Photoshop class until conditions improved to get back outside. After lunch the rain had subsided and our trip to Little Cove was a go. A light fog had developed along the Georgian Bay shoreline which was quite pleasing.

 

Little Cove on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

The timing of the Bruce Peninsula Workshop was scheduled to coincide with the newly emerging leaves of the forest trees, which tend to present all shades of green for very pleasing forest imagery as well as intimate photographs of the new growth.

New Growth on Aspen Forest, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

Sadly there are many abandoned homes on the Bruce Peninsula, but some of them make wonderful images, especially for applying creative edits such as I did with Topaz Impression for the abandoned homested below.

Abandoned Homestead on the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario

Our final morning was a return trip to Halfway Log Dump for a second chance at sunrise photography. This morning proved to be a better sunrise than the first morning, hence the reason I do make repeated visits to the same locations for sunrise photography. You will NEVER be presented with the same conditions as you had the day before 🙂

On this morning there was heavy cloud cover, but as the sun rose it found enough of an opening to illuminate the pre-dawn sky. After the sun had risen it was blocked out by much of the cloud cover, however, there were numerous shoreline scenes worthy of photographing and some of them would be prefect for creating black and white conversions.

Halfway Log Dump on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

 

Halfway Log Dump on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

 

Halfway Log Dump on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

 

Halfway Log Dump on Georgian Bay, Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

We will be offering the Bruce Peninsula Photography Workshop again in 2020. To ensure you do not miss out on this opportunity please do send me a note by clicking here to be added to my workshop contact list.

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In the Land of Ice and Snow

The Niagara Escarpment at Georgian Bay on Bruce Peninsula National Park

Recently I accompanied a couple of past workshop participants an outing to Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula, which was well planned as the wintry scenes will come to an abrupt end with the onset of warmer, rainy weather forecasted for this week.

The Bruce Peninsula lies between Lake Huron and Georgian Bay. A section of the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere, also runs along the Bruce Peninsula. The Niagara Escarpment is known for stunning limestone cliffs and outcrops as well as being home to eastern North America’s oldest trees and forest ecosystem. In winter this region takes on an incredible transformation as the cliffs of the Niagara Escarpment are adorned with massive amounts of ice. There are several caves along the base of the cliffs that are only accessible when Georgian Bay freezes over. The interiors of these caves are  incredible to explore as well, especially with a wide angle lens.

The Niagara Escarpment at Georgian Bay on Bruce Peninsula National Park

My choice of lens to use on this trip turned out to be the amazingly wide and razor sharp Laowa 12mm Zero D Lens on my Nikon D800. The close focusing capabilities of this lens easily allowed me to capture all the amazing icy details in the foregrounds, yet take in the grand landscape before me. The Laowa 12mm Zero D Lens was also extremely useful when entering the small caves along the base of the cliffs as I was easily able to capture a significant portion of the cave’s interior details while peering out through the cave openings.

The Niagara Escarpment at Georgian Bay on Bruce Peninsula National Park

All in all the outing to this area was short. We spent a mere 4 hours photographing the wintry details of the Georgian Bay coast. We had hoped for another opportunity on Sunday, but our plans were thwarted by significant winds and rain. Nonetheless, I created some of my personal best winter landscape imagery on the outing.

The Niagara Escarpment at Georgian Bay on Bruce Peninsula National Park

I was so impressed with the winter landscape opportunities along the Georgian bay coast in Bruce Peninsula National Park that I may offer a winter landscape photography workshop to this region in 2020. Folks that may be interested in such an event should contact me by clicking here to be added to my workshop email contact list.

The Niagara Escarpment at Georgian Bay on Bruce Peninsula National Park

 

The Niagara Escarpment at Georgian Bay on Bruce Peninsula National Park

 

 

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Bruce Peninsula Photographic Workshop

 

Join Andrew McLachlan on Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula this September 18th, 19th, & 20th 2018 for 2 ½ days of in-depth photographic exploration. During this landscape photography workshop we will visit some of the finest landscapes that the Georgian Bay coast has to offer. Embrace the beauty of turquoise waters and rugged limestone cliffs along the Niagara Escarpment – an UNESCO World Biosphere. Maximum number of participants is 8. This workshop has been scheduled mid-week to avoid the crowds that are present during weekends.

Do note that there will be some walking involved on woodland trails and rocky shorelines, with uneven terrain. The longest walk will be roughly 20 – 30 minutes in length. Please do not hesitate to inquire should you have any concerns regarding physical limitations that may affect your ability to attend this event. It is also recommended that you purchase your vehicle day pass for each day in advance at www.reservations.pc.gc.ca

Itinerary:

Tuesday, September 18th:

• Meet in the parking lot of Halfway Log Dump for sunrise / daybreak photo session at 6:00 a.m.
• Stop for lunch (on your own) as a group at 1:00 p.m.
• 20-30 minute walk to Indian Head Cove / The Grotto for afternoon photo session
• Dinner (on your own) as a group before or after sunset based on group decision
• Sunset photo session at Singing Sands at 6:00 p.m.
• Get some rested for early start on Wednesday

Wednesday, September 19th:

• Meet at 6:00 a.m. at Little Cove for sunrise photo session
• Stop for lunch (on your own) as a group at 1:00 p.m.
• Afternoon photo session  – location to be determined
• 20-30 minute walk to sunset photo session at Indian Head Cove for 6:00 p.m. arrival
• Complimentary dinner at local restaurant

Thursday, September 20th:

• Indian Head Cove / The Grotto for sunrise photo session – 20 – 30 minute walk
• Depart for home 12:00 p.m.

What’s Included:

• In-depth photographic instruction during each photo session with LCD review to ensure you are capturing the best possible images given the conditions of the day
• Dinner at restaurant in Tobermory on Wednesday, September 19th

What’s Not Included:

• Accommodations (numerous options available in Tobermory… I will be staying in the park at the Poplars Campground)
• Day use vehicle passes for each day. These can be purchased in advance at www.reservations.pc.gc.ca
• Transportation
• Car pooling of participants is encouraged for each photo session
• Breakfast and lunch
• Alcoholic Beverages

Workshop Fee:

$325.00 CDN plus taxes

Payment can be made via email transfer or by cheque.

To reserve your spot in the Bruce Peninsula Workshop please contact me by clicking here to arrange payment.

Cancellation Policy:

No Refunds. Check your schedule carefully prior to booking.

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Bruce Peninsula National Park

Halfway Log Dump
Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

In May of 2016, I made a three day visit to Ontario’s Bruce Peninsula National Park. Today I revisited the folder of images from that trip to optimize several of the photographs that were tucked away due to my backlog in editing the files. Bruce Peninsula National Park can be found at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula near Tobermory, Ontario. It is also on the Niagara Escarpment – an UNESCO World Biosphere site. One section of the park lies on Lake Huron while the remainder of the park is facing beautiful Georgian Bay. Georgian Bay provides landscape photographs with a plethora of stunning vistas with ragged cliffs, cobblestone beaches, and unlimited shoreline details to photograph. A short distance out into Georgian Bay lies the Fathom Five National Marine Park, which is home to the famous Flower Pot Island. If you are a landscape photographer the Bruce Peninsula needs to be one of your bucket list items.

Halfway Log Dump
Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

 

Indian Head Cove
Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

 

Indian Head Cove
Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

 

Flower Pot Island
Fathom Five National Marine Park, Ontario

 

The Grotto
Bruce Peninsula National Park, Ontario

 

Flower Pot Island
Fathom Five National Marine Park, Ontario

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Like Stepping Into Another World

Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Nikon D800, Nikkor 18-35mm lens @ 35mm
ISO 100
f16 @ 8 seconds

When I was a kid I used to love watching a TV series called “Land of the Lost,” which aired on the NBC network from 1974 -1976. This series was essentially about a family that was trapped in an alternate universe inhabited by dinosaurs. There are a few locations throughout Ontario, especially along the Niagara Escarpment where I am often reminded of this show as the landscape really does make you feel as though you are entering a different world. On a recent excursion last week I found myself again in this situation. The place was the Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park which is a small, park with no services, just hiking trails. The hiking trails are part of the historic Bruce Trail that runs from Niagara River to Tobermory. This trail is more than 890 kilometres in  length with an additional 400 plus kilometres of side trails. Within the Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park we find the Standing Rock and Caves Side Trail which is where all of today’s images were created. After climbing down into the first crevice blue trail markers guide you through the deep, cool crevices with walls that are draped in thick carpets of moss, liverworts, and numerous species of ferns. I spent the better part of about 4 hours exploring these crevices and will definitely need to schedule a return trip to complete the exploration. I took only two lenses with me on this excursion; the Nikkor 18-35mm lens and the Laowa 12mm Zero D lens. The conditions in the crevices were very cool temperatures and due to the steep crevice walls many of the exposures were seconds long. The day was a hot, muggy kind of day but down in the crevices I was actually catching a chill. When I made my out of the crevices my lenses fogged immediately upon exposure to the warmer, humid air. Here are several images created during my first outing to this newly discovered location.

Please click on each of the photos to see the larger, sharper version.

Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Nikon D800, Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero D Lens
ISO 100
f16 @ 3 seconds

 

Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Nikon D800, Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero D Lens
ISO 100
f16 @ 4 seconds

 

Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Nikon D800, Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero D Lens
ISO 100
f16 @ 1 seconds

 

Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Nikon D800, Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero D Lens
ISO 100
f16 @ 3 seconds

 

Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Nikon D800, Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero D Lens
ISO 100
f16 @ 1.6 seconds

 

Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Nikon D800, Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero D Lens
ISO 100
f16 @ 30 seconds

 

In the below image we can see how the center slab of rock, millions of years ago, broke free of the rock wall on the right and went crashing into the rock wall on the left side of the composition.

 

Nottawasaga Lookout Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Nikon D800, Nikkor 18-35mm lens @ 35mm
ISO 100
f16 @ 25 seconds

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Hogg’s Falls

Hogg’s Falls, Flesherton, Ontario, Canada
Nikon D800, Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero D Lens
Nisi Polarizing Filter
ISO 50
f16 @ 1/5 sec

It has been several years since I have made the short one hour drive to Hogg’s Falls on the Boyne River along the Niagara Escarpment near Flesherton, Ontario, however, with perfect over-cast conditions this past Monday I felt it was time to make a return trip and this time I would be taking along my extreme wide angle Laowa 12mm f2.8 Zero D lens, complete with the newly arrived Nisi Filter System that allows me to fit a polarizing filter over the bulbous front element of the lens to effectively polarize scenes such as the one featured in today’s post. I am loving the 12mm perspective that is offered by this amazingly sharp, light weight lens and foresee many return visits to some of my most favorite locations throughout Ontario to create unique, ultra wide, landscape imagery. To create this extreme wide angle view of Hogg’s Falls first required me to climb down into the gorge, secondly find an angle where the spray from the cascading water would not be too problematic, and finally position my camera low to the river.

Please remember to click on the image to view the larger, sharper version.

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Over the Top at Hilton Falls

As mentioned in my previous post, after photographing the old, rusted out cars and trucks in Rockwood, Ontario I made a brief visit to nearby Hilton Falls on Sixteen Mile Creek. This lovely waterfall is one of the many waterfalls that are found along the Niagara Escarpment and is located in the Hilton Falls Conservation Area.. When photographing waterfalls it is always wise to create images from several different perspectives.  One of the perspectives I am particularly fond of is that which can be created at the crest of the falls, looking over the edge. To photograph the scene above I chose to work from a narrow ledge beside the river at the crest of the falls. I excluded most of the surrounding forest due to the significant leaf fall, opting to include as much of the river’s flow pattern as possible. I did retain enough of the far bank and the brink of the cascade to maintain a sense of place in the resulting image. Hope you like the results 🙂

Please remember to click on the image to see the larger, sharper version.

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Balls Falls

Balls Falls, Twenty Mile Creek, Ontario

Sorry for the lack of posts to the blog lately folks. I have been very busy lately with various projects, not too mention by bad back acting up on me. With the workload nearing an easing up time period and my back pain subsiding somewhat, I have been going through many of my image files that I have been unable to attend to until now. Above you will be Balls Falls on the Twenty Mile Creek along Ontario’s Niagara Escarpment, an UNESCO World Biosphere. Often I have visited this waterfall and there has been virtually no waterfall due to low levels of rainfall. This past spring was rather wet and it made for some excellent waterfall photography, especially along the Niagara Escarpment. This is one of my favorites from my visit to Balls Falls. And below you will see that I just could not resist the temptation to run the image through Topaz Labs ‘BW Effects’ plugin for Photoshop. I have saved a selection of settings in BW Effects for my ‘waterfall preset’ and will share those settings in an upcoming post soon. Hope you like today’s images.

Balls Falls with BW Effects applied

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Creative Cascade

Spencer Gorge Wilderness Area

I have been busy processing a backlog of images from this past spring, summer and fall and also trying to catch up on much needed rest. While going through my files I came across this small cascade that I photographed at Webster’s Falls in the Spencer Gorge Wilderness Area in Hamilton, Ontario. This is found along the Niagara Escarpment. The Hamilton region is noted for its numerous waterfalls on the Niagara Escarpment, many of them really only show any flow after periods of significant rainfall. I found this one to be particularly attractive with the escarpment wall for a backdrop. After processing the image file I decided to run it through Topaz Labs B&W Effects to create the effect you see above.

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